Byron benjamin goldsmith



(N o Model.)

B. B. GOLDSMITH.

GAME 0R PUZZLE.

No. 605,164. Patented June 7, 1898.

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Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIoE.

BYRON BENJAMIN GOLDSMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

, GAIVITE PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters ;Patent No. 605,164, dated June '7, 1898. Application filed September-28,1895. serial No. ceases, (to moaei.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BYRON BENJAMIN GOLD- sMITH,a citizen of the United States,and a resior Puzzles, of which the following fication.

dent of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Games is aspeciing within it a number of balls and a cage,-

which is universally supported in such manner that it is free to swing in all vertical planes passing through a vertical axis. thereto the cage may be arranged to turn or rotate about that axis. This cage is so sup ported that its lower side is at such mean distance above the bottom of the box that the balls cannot pass under the edge of the cage except when the plane of the latter is at an angle to the bottom of the box.

The construction and operation of the puzzle will be apparent from the following detail description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,iforming part of this specification, and in which% Figure 1 is a cross-section of the improved puzzle. Fig. 2 is a section illustrating the operation of thepuzzle. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the cage removed from the box, and Figs. 4 and 5 show plan views of other forms of cage.

.Like numerals of reference indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a box or receptacle 1, preferably cylindrical in shape, with the bottom 2 and side walls 3 in one piece. A ledge 4, formed by the upper side of a'ring 5 within the box, as shown in Fig. 1, or by an inwardly-projecting bead 6, as in Fig. 2, receives a glass or other transparent disk or cover 7, held in place by a ring 8, sprung into the box above the disk, or the upper edge of the .box may be spun down on the glass cover and the ring be dispensed with. The box so constructed forms a closed In addition ble through the glass cover. Within the box there is a cage 9, supported by a post 10, fixed to the center of the bottom of the box and rounded or pointed at the upper end, and besides this cage the box contains a number, preferably two, of freely-movable bodies 11, such as lead shot. The shot should all be of the same size. 1

y The cage 9 consists of a shallow cup-shaped cylinder of sheet metal having in its periphery a number of equidistant perforations 12 of a diameter somewhat smaller than that of the shot and its upper face formed with several openings 13, through which the interior of the cage may be seen. At the center of the top of the cage there is formed a rounded socket 14 for the reception of theupper end of r the post 10. The center of gravity of the cage is very low, and the post 10 is of such length that the bottom edge of the cage clears the bottom of the box by a distance equal to a little more than half the diameter of the shot 11. The normal position of the cage is horizontal, though it is free to tilt in any direction andto rotate on its support, but when so, tilted it tends to quickly assume the horizontal position.

If the box 1 be tilted, the cage will remain horizontal until one edge is engaged by the bottom of the box, and the opposite edge of the cage will be far enough above the bottom of the box to permit the shot to pass.

In the normal condition of the device the shot are outside the cage, and the problem is to get them both (where two are used) into the cage. This is rendered difficult by the fact that on tipping the box the balls quickly seek the lowest point, while at the same time the distance between the cage and the higher portion of the box-bottom is lessened until ultimately they touch. This latter position is shown in Fig. 2. It is possible, however, by a suitable manipulation of the box to cause the two shot to become seated in adjacent perforations 11 in what will constitute the upper side of the cage when the box is tilted. When this is accomplished, the box is carefully brought to a vertical position and beyond until the cage falls over against the cover, thereby leaving ample space between the cage and box-bottom for the passage of the shot. A quick movement of the box, tending to throw the shot away from their seats in the periphery of the cage toward the boxbottom, will cause the said shot to roll over the edge of the cage and fall down into the latter, where they will be caught by its lower side, which in this position of the box is close to or touches the box-bottom. By then bringing the box carefully to a horizontal position the shot will remain within the cage.

Another way of working the puzzle is to hold the box level in the hand and move the hand in a circle. This will cause the cage to revolve on the pin and also swing to and fro. The spheres will be caused to travel around the cage and back and forth from the wall of the box to the cage, and ultimately one of the spheres will become wedged under the edge of the cage. Now by careful manipulation the other sphere may be brought up to the one that is wedged, and then by tipping the box slightly both spheres may be caused to roll into the cage.

Instead of forming the cage with the perforations 12, constituting seats for the shot, these'seats may be constructed as illustrated in Fig. 4, where they are shown in the form of flutes or channels 15 in the periphery of the cage, or the cage may be in the form of a wheel with a smooth periphery, as shown in Fig. 5. In the latter form the cage may be made to resemble a bicycle-wheel, as shown, for advertising purposes, or some other appropriate design may be used for the same purpose.

\Vhen the cage is made with seats, either solution proposed may be used; but where the periphery is smooth the first-mentioned solution is inapplicable, and the second or some other solution can be employed.

Other modifications in the device are selfevident. For instance, the shot may be of other than spherical form, thus increasing the difliculty of working the puzzle, or the cage may be of other shape than that shown, or the bottom of the box may be dished to make its upper surface slightly convex, and still further changes may be made without departing from the invention, the essential features of which are the box or receptacle, the universally-hung cage, with or without seats in its periphery, and one or more moving bodies within the box.

Having now fully described my invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A puzzle, comprising a box or receptacle, a cage universally supported within the receptacle, and one or more easily-movable bodies also within the receptacle, substantially as described.

2. A puzzle, comprising a box or receptacle with a transparent cover, a cage universally supported within the receptacle, and one or more easily-movable bodies also within the receptacle, substantially as described.

3. A puzzle, comprising a box or receptacle, a universally-hung cage within the same, provided with seats in its periphery, and one or more movable bodies also within the receptacle, substantially as described.

4.. A puzzle, comprising a box or receptacle with a transparent cover, a cage universally supported within the same and having seats in its periphery, and spherical or other easily-movable bodies within the box, substantially as described.

5. A puzzle, comprising a box or receptacle, containing a cage supported in a manner to be capable of universal movement in all vertical planes passing through the point of support, and one or more spherical or other easily-movable bodies of greater height than the mean distance of the edge of the cage from the bottom of the box, substantially as described.

6. A puzzle, comprising a box or reccptacle containinga cage, loosely suppprted upon a pin at a point above its center of gravity, and a number of spherical or other easilymovable bodies of greater height than the mean distance of the edge of the cage from the bottom of the box, substantially as described.

7. A puzzle comprising a box or receptacle, a cage, supported within the receptacle, free to swing in vertical planes and to rotate in a horizontal plane and one or more easilymovable bodies also within the receptacle, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BYRON BENJAMIN GOLDSMITH.

\Vitn esses:

EDWD. EWUSSENBORN, FRANCIS W. WALsn. 

